Penn State
- Local Atmosphere

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Penn State - Local Atmosphere - College ProwlerCollege Prowler3.46

Local Atmosphere

Quick Stats

Points of Interest
  • Beaver Stadium
  • Mount Nittany
  • Museum of Fine Arts
  • Penn Roosevelt State Park
  • Tussey Mountain
  • Whipple Dam

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

The town of State College has been fairly judged as a party town. The town’s population and activity level rises and falls with the academic calendar. During the day, downtown State College is a decent shopping ground for any 15–25-year-old. The area surrounding State College is almost always undergoing development, with new shopping plazas, restaurants, and movie theaters being added every year. This part of town is more accessible if you have a car, though there is a public transportation system if you’re willing to keep to its erratic schedule.

At night, the stores close and the bars open. It’s easy to find a party, but if you don’t want to drink or party you may be left out in the cold. Remember, if you choose to live here, that State College is the only sizable town for over a hundred miles. Other universities are only present during athletic competitions. A good season for the Nittany Lion’s football team makes for a happy populace.

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Penn State Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Local Atmosphere at Penn State

12criordan

'16

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

4.2
A-

Happy Valley

Penn State University Park is the main campus of the Penn State schools. It is located in a more isolated part of Pennsylvania but has a lot of charm. The school used to be one building with a nice town called State College around the block; but now State College has been overrun with college students and is filled with shops and places to eat. Being on that campus really makes you feel like you are living on your own in a big city. The best part of Penn State would definitely have to be the ice cream. It is so rich and fattening that they cannot sell it in stores because the fat content is too high. :)

C'mon, you choose a college based off the ice cream...

Feb 09, 2012

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Local Atmosphere at Penn State

nxs5192

'13

Criminal Justice and Corrections

4.6
A

You Won't Get Bored

This branch campus of Penn State is located in Dallas, Pa. Dallas has a huge lake which is the main attraction in the warm weather season. Often times students enjoy free time hunting, fishing, and also shopping at the local malls. There are plenty of places to eat out at and enjoy a night on the town.

Feb 06, 2012

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Local Atmosphere at Penn State

nko5006

'13

Psychology

3.8
B+

Chose and Pick

Its a nice place to be for almost anything. its a perfect place for college sport events. based on where you live you can be either school oriented or into the party scene.

Dec 28, 2011

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Photos of Penn State's Local Atmosphere

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Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

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What is the local atmosphere like at your school?

What is the proximity to other universities? Is there much interaction?

Can you see yourself living here after graduation?

Facts

Shopping Centers Nittany Mall
Major Sports Teams
  • Nittany Lion Basketball:
  • Penn State Football:
  • State College Spikes : Minor league baseball
City Web Sites
Distances to Nearest Major Cities
  • Philadelphia: PA: 3 hours, 30 minutes
  • Pittsburgh: PA: 3 hours
Did You Know?

5 Fun Facts about State College
• Each year downtown State College hosts the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, a huge sidewalk sale and exhibition that draws artisans from across the country and brings in over 100,000 visitors!
• On football Saturdays, Beaver Stadium becomes the third largest city in Pennsylvania.
CNN Money named State College as the number one "singles city" in the nation.
Rolling Stone magazine gave honorable mention to State College as having one of the best music scenes in the country
• “Nittany” is a Native American term meaning “single mountain.”

 

Movie TheatersWhat's This?

Carmike Cinema 6
501 Benner Pke.
State College
(814) 237-1997

College Nine Theatre
3031 Carnegie Dr.
State College
(814) 272-3050

Premiere Theater
125 Premiere Dr..
Bellefonte
(814) 861-5006

State Theater
130 W. College Ave.
(814) 272-0606

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Most Recent Student Author

College Prowler guides are in the hands of students throughout the entire process. Because you can't make student-written guides without the students, we have students at each campus who write, edit, and survey their peers for every guide that we publish. Thanks to our most recent student author at PSU

Name: James Bunting

Hometown: Whitehall, PA

Major: Journalism

see all student author bios > Become a student author to help update the guide for this school